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6 NATURAL HISTORY OP PRECIOUS STONES, &c.
The
nature of the quotations seems to indicate that these writers had
principally busied themselves with the supposed efficacy of gems in
medicine or in magic. It may be conjectured that, although Pliny names
none amongst them, save Archelaus, in his list of authorities serving
him in the compilation of his book xxxvii., yet, from the nature of
their treatises, we may suspect he both knew, and contemptuously
classed them amongst the " impudent Magi," specimens of whose " infanda
vanitas " or preposterous lies, he often adduces for the sake of
exposing them. To this list Suidas adds AEsopus, " reader to
king Mithri-dates," who, to judge from the passage cited ' On the
Pan-fish,' followed in the same line of things wonderful.
Of ancient Greek
mineralogy, this is absolutely all that remains : of the Roman,
besides Pliny's inestimable, though too compressed, compendium,
somewhat more is extant, although of but trifling importance. Solinus," who
probably belonged to the weakly Eevival in Constantine's age, has in
his ' Polyhistor' particularly discussed the article of the precious
stones produced by the several countries as he describes them. His
notices are often extremely useful, inasmuch as he evidently aims at a
more precise and technical description of the precious stones than he
found in his precursor Pliny; and indeed he often displays the
knowledge of a practised jeweller. In fact, it is impossible to obtain
a clear notion of what the Romans meant by certain species from Pliny's
description (notably the Hyacinthus and the Sardonyx) without comparing it with the more systematic definition of the same things as laid down by Solinus.
Lastly, many stones and minerals will be found defined in the ' Origines' (a brief encyclopasdia) of Isidorus, bishop
of Seville in the 7th century. This work has a certain value as
containing quotations from many authors now lost. Little, however, is
to be obtained from his extracts bearing upon our subject, as he
evidently has here contented himself with abridging Pliny's definitions
; and that, too often, without clearly understanding his meaning. From
Solinus too he has transcribed some passages verbatim, for instance
the definition of " Hyacinthus."
8 He is first quoted by Priscian, the grammarian of Caesarea, in the 5th century.
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